Domestic Food Programs,Hunger and Undernutrition in Rural America: How Secure is the Safety Net?

Abstract

This article analyzes the efficacy and distributional impacts of domestic food assistance programs as a safety net against hunger and undernutrition in rural America. The framework of analysis emphasizes the interactions among income level, food availability and nutrient consumption levels. The deteriorating real income of poor rural residents in the 1970s and 1980s eroded the effective demand for essential food and nutrient groups. From 1979 to 1983, the number of rural poor who were eligible for but did not receive food stamps increased from 5.67 million to 7.51 million. It is argued that food programs can begin to serve as an effective safety net only when they are synchronized with other transfer programs and programs that increase the effective demand for food and nutrients through increased employment opportunities.